Best Fares: Asia Affordable With Spring Deals

May 8, 2005|By Tom Parsons The Dallas Morning News

Sale fares and special offers to Asia and the South Pacific are available for spring and summer travel.

When considering Pacific flights, travelers should check fares from Los Angeles or San Francisco, since fares are often considerably cheaper from these cities. If you find a low fare, buy your international ticket traveling from Los Angeles or San Francisco and a separate round-trip domestic ticket to California. For example, Air New Zealand and Qantas recently offered fares from Los Angeles to New Zealand for under $621 round trip and to Australia for $721 round trip, while the cheapest round-trip fares from Dallas were $1,011 and $1,111, respectively.

Travel on Qantas from 17 cities to Nadi, Fiji, on fares starting at $665 round trip. Tickets must be purchased by June 1, with a three-day advance, for departure June 20 through July 25 and return by Aug. 15. Round trip from Dallas is $1,055. Kids younger than 12 can save 25 percent. Contact 800-227-4500; www.qantasusa.com.

United is offering a Web sale to Hong Kong, with fares starting at $658 round trip. Sample fares include $698 from Dallas. Tickets must be purchased by May 5, with a seven-day advance, for departure May 6-22. Access www.united.com.

American and Northwest are offering sale fares to Nagoya, Japan. Sample round-trip fares include $540 from Dallas or Chicago. Buy tickets by May 24, with a seven-day advance, for departure through May 31. Contact American, 800-433-7300, www.aa.com; Northwest, 800-225-2525, www.nwa.com.

If you'd like to travel on frequent-flier miles, United is offering reduced mileage-award tickets to Nagoya or Taipei. Fly to Nagoya or Taipei for 44,000 miles for an economy-class flight, 70,000 miles for a business-class flight and 100,000 for a first-class flight, which is a savings of 16,000 to 20,000 miles. Award tickets must be booked by June 30 for travel through Sept. 15. Access www.united.com.

Accor Hotels has Last Minute Deals with low rates for booking within two months of travel. Sample nightly rates include $28 at the Sofitel Palm Resort Johor Bahru in Malaysia, $52 Novotel Oasis Beijing in China and $63 Sofitel Plaza Hanoi in Vietnam. Visit www.accorhotels-asia.comromotion/lastminute.asp.

Tom Parsons is publisher of Bestfares.com. Contact him at www.bestfares.com/contact.asp.